Locomotive sanding device.



Patented Apr. 23, 1918.

W. H. WHITE.

LOCOMOTIVE SANDING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 19, 19l8.

LIIIAM H. WHITE, OF ROANOKJE, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR T0 WHITE AMERICAN LOCO-a: TION 01E VIRGINIA.

IIOGOMOTIVE SANDING- DEVIGE. j

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Fatenteditpr. 23, rare.

Application filed January 19, 1918. Serial No. 212,546.

tion wheels of locomotives or the like and.

among the objects thereof is to provide improvements in sanding deviceswhereby neither the sand trap, the pipes, nor any of the appurtenanceswill become stopped, and also to provide with a special form of sandtrap a suitablecontrol valve therefor.

With these general and other objects in view the invention consists ofthe formation, combination and the arrangement of parts as will beherein described and particularly as set forth'in the appended claims.

In the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification,Figure 1 is a partial side elevational view. of a loco-I motive havingthe elements, of my inven tion applied thereto in connection with otherportions of the sanding equipment. Fig. 2- is a longitudinal sectiontaken through my especial form of sand trap and showing also the controlvalve and connections in their relationship to the trap. Figs. 3-and 4are transverse sections through the control valve showing the same indifierent operat ing positions. Fig. 5 is a side elevational view of thecontrol valve. Fig. 6 is another sectional view of the control valveshowing the same .in sanding position. Fig. 7 is a slightly enlargedview of the partition across the air pipe leading to the discharge jet.Fig. 8 is a slightlyenlarged view of the delivery air jet. The scale ofFig. 7 is somewhat reduced over that of Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Referring now to these drawings it is customary to equip locomotiveswith a sand box or dome 1, usually on top of the boiler; so that sandcan be fed to the drive wheels 2 along either side of the machine.Leading from the sand box 1 is a pipe 3 which forms a part of anddelivers sand to the one leg 4: of a sand trap 5, the trap being soarranged as to prevent the sand from falling or jarring to the rail whennot desired.

Here the sand falls into the discharge leg 6 of the trap where it iseffectively trapped and whence it may be discharged down the pipe 7- tothe rail when desired. To carry the sand through the trap and as an aidto gravity in propelling the sand, a fluid pressure medium such ascompressed air is used, this being piped as at 8 from the main airreservoir or any suitable source. A control valve 9 is located in thispipe and from the control valve two pipes 10 and 11 lead to the sandtrap, the pipe 10 leading to a discharge jet 12 which is directed intoand along the discharge leg of the trap and the pipe 11 leading to acavity 13 in the trap. This cavity communicates at one end with a pipe14 which extends upwardly into the pipe 3 and is closed at its upperend. This pipe is provided with. a plurality of downwardly directed andhelically disposed holes 15 and thus comprises a delivery jet. Com-Pressed'air being supplied to this pipe 1 1 the same is jetted outthese'holes 15 and the pipe 3 is thus kept free from stoppage and thesand is also caused to move downward into the discharge leg of the trapas needed.

The cavity 13 also communicates with an opening or jet 16 which directsa jet of air down the pipe 7 to clean the same and to prevent stoppage.The trap is so arranged that the plug 17 in the end of the discharge legmay be removed and the pipe 7 applied at this point, in case it isdesired to so direct the pipe 7 around an obstacle, the plug being thenreplaced at the hole just vacated by the pipe 7. In this event the smallplug 18 is likewise removed from the outer end of the cavity 13 andinserted in the jet opening 16 which is threaded for this purpose, thusproperly directing the cleaning jet at all times into the pipe 7 I Thecontrol valve 9 is made as a plug cock having a hollow, rotatable plug19 disposed centrally in a suitably chambered body 20, this plug cockconstruction being of the well known type. The body of the cock isprovided with three openings, 21, 22'

To the central opening 22 is attached the fluid pressure supply pipe 8,to the one lateral branch at 21 is connected the pipe 11 and to theother lateral branch at 23 is connected the pipe 10. The hollow plug 19is provided with three openings 25, 26 and 27, through its wall andthese are so arranged that in one extreme position of the valve, ,(thatshown in Fig. 8) all three of the openings will be blanked off withrespect to the openings 21, 22 and 23. In the other extreme position ofthe valve, (that shown in Fig. 6) the hole 25 registers with the openingQ fl 22 and the hole 26 with the opening 23, and thus, through thecavity of the plug, communication is established between the pipes 8 and10 and compressed air is supplied to the dischargenozzle'12 to deliversand to the rail when desired.

In the air passage leading to the nozzle 12 and removed slightly fromthe inner end of the same there is provided a cavity or relativelyenlarged expanding chamber 28 preferably of bowl shape, and the air isdelivered to this chamber through a series of small holes 29 arrangedcircumferentially in a plug or partition 30 across the air channel.These holes are so arranged that the air is given a swirling or spiralmovement in'the bowl.

This construction just described has been found to be more effectivethan a valve in preventing the creeping of sand into'the air pipe, andin expelling any sand which may have crept back through the nozzle 12and into the passageway leading thereto.

' In passing from either extreme position of the control valve to theother as depicted in liigs. 3 and 6 the plugpasses throughthe positionshown in Fig. 4 when the holes 25, 26 and 27 register fora moment withthe openings 21, 22 and 23 respectively. This position is known as thecleaning position and it will be seen that air is now fed to the pipe 11and thence to the delivery and cleaning'jets of the trap. At the sametime it will be seen that a reduced amount of air will be given to thenozzle 12 through the relatively smaller hole 27 .in the plug of thevalve. This gives enough air to the nozzle 12 and through the holes 29to prevent sand being forced back into the nozzle when cleaning. It willalso be seenthat the'trap is automatically cleaned both before and aftereach sanding operation.

The apparatus thus described forms an en tirely reliable and positivesand feeding mechanism, and while my improvements will produce the bestresults when combined with the other sanding elements shown and de-*scribed, yet I do not limit myself to the specific construction shown,as modifications therein may be made within the scope of the claimswithout departing from the spirit of the invention. 3

What'I claim is: 1. In a sanding device, a sand trap having three jets,a connected supply of fluid pressure therefor, and means for admittingthe fluid pressure to one of the jets at one timeand to all three jetsat another time.

2. In a sanding device, a sand trap-having three jets, a connectedsupply of fluid pressure therefor, and operative means for admitting thefluid pressure to one of the jets and for shutting it ofl therefrom,said means being arranged to momentarily admit the uid pressure to allthree jets when being operated to either admit or to shut ofl the fluidpressure from the said one jet.

3. In a sanding device, a sand trap having a delivery jet, a dischargejet and a cleaning jet, a connected supply of fluid pressure, and meansfor admitting the fluid pressure to the discharge jet at one time and toall three jets at another time. a

4. In a sanding device, a sand trap having a sand-receiving leg and asand-delivery leg, a propelling jet in the discharge leg, a deliveringjet in the delivery leg and a cleaning jet in the discharge leg, aconnected supply of fluid pressure for the jets, and means for admittingfluid pressuretothe propelling jet at one time, and to all three jets atanother time.

5. In a sanding device a source of fluid pressure, a sand trap having apropelling jet and a cleaning jet, and a control valve for the fluidpressure connected ,7 with the sand trap and arranged to give a blast offluid pressure to the cleaning jet immediately before and after eachpropelling blast, there being an independent connection also by whichfluid pressure will be delivered to the propelling jet simultaneouslywith the cleaning blast. H

6. In a sandingdevice, a sand trap having a delivery jet, a dischargejet and a cleaning jet, a connected supply of fluid pressure therefor,and means'for admitting the fluid pressure in a normal amount to thedischarge jet at one time and at another time to the delivery jet and tothe cleaning jet in normal amounts and simultaneously therewith to thedischarge jet in a sub-normal amount.

7. In a sanding device, a sandtrap having a receiving leg with adelivery jet therein, a discharge leg with a discharge jet therein andwith a cleaning jet therefor, a supply of fluid pressure connected tothe jets, and a valve located in the fluid pressure supply line andadapted when in one position to supply fluid pressure to the dischargejet in a normal quantity,- and adapted also, when being moved eitherinto or out of said position to give a momentary supply of fluid.pressure to the cleaning jet and to the delivery jet, and simultaneouslytherewith to give a reduced supply to the discharge jet.

8. In a sanding device, a sand trap havin a receiving leg with adelivery jet therein, a

mess/a2 discharge leg with a discharge jet therein and with a cleaningjet therefor, a supply of fluid pressure connected to the jets with acontrol valve therefor, a pipe leading from the control valve to thedelivery jet and to the cleaning jet and another pipe leading from thecontrol valve to the discharge jet, the said control valve having asanding position wherein fluid pressure will be admitted to the pipeleading to the discharge jet and another position wherein the fluidpressure will be entirely shut oil", the said valw'e being so arrangedthat in passing from either of said positions to the other a momental-ysupply of: fluid pressure will be admitted tothe pipe leading to thedelivery and the cleaning jet and simultaneously therewith fluidpressure will be admitted to the discharge jet pipe.

9. In a sanding device, a sand trap having a plurality of jets, a supplyof fluid pressure connected to the jets, and a control valve for thesame, the said valve comprising a plug cock having a hollow, central,rotatable plug and a cooperatively formed body, thesaid body having asupply connection and having two discharge connections each adapted todirect the fluid pressure to different jets of the trap, saidconnections being arranged at different positions around the said body,the wall of the hollow plug being pierced at three points adapted in oneposltion of the plug to register with the supply connection and one ofthe discharge connections and to establish communication between thesame, adapted in another position to blank off all of the connections,and adapted in an intermediate position between the two first mentionedones to register with all of the connections and to establishcommunication between the supply and both delivery connections.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

WILLIAM H. ITE.

